Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk has challenged his players to weaponize the fierce atmosphere of Rams Park once again as they prepare to host Liverpool in Tuesday’s Champions League Round of 16 showdown.
The Premier League giants landed in Istanbul on Monday evening, returning to the scene of a bruising 1-0 defeat suffered during the tournament’s league phase in September. On that night, the “Cimbom” faithful created a deafening “wall of noise” that appeared to rattle Arne Slot’s side from the opening whistle.
Bolstered by a dramatic 7-5 aggregate triumph over Juventus in the play-offs to reach this stage, Buruk is adamant that home advantage will be the x-factor in the first leg.
“In a knockout tie of this magnitude, the opening match is paramount,” Buruk said in his pre-match press conference as quoted by Turkish-Football. “We are among 16 elite clubs left on this path, and everyone has a legitimate dream of moving forward. Our primary objective is to secure a clear advantage here in Istanbul.”
Reflecting on their previous encounter, which was decided by a Victor Osimhen penalty following a foul by Dominik Szoboszlai, Buruk noted that familiarity would play a key role.
“There are no excuses tomorrow. We are on our own turf and we know what we are capable of,” Buruk said. “We have faced them once already this season; we understand their quality, but we also know them better now.”
While wary of Liverpool’s aerial prowess—specifically highlighting the threat of Virgil van Dijk on set-pieces—Buruk pointed to a perceived vulnerability in the visitors’ backline.
“They are a high-caliber opponent who have a habit of finding late winners, but they have also been conceding goals frequently. We must be clinical enough to exploit that,” he added. “I expect Liverpool to arrive with a completely different mindset than they had last autumn. They will be more focused, but we have prepared specifically for this.”
Liverpool enter the tie following a 3-1 FA Cup win over Wolves but will be without goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who did not travel due to a training-ground injury. For Galatasaray, the focus remains on the “Osimhen factor,” with the Nigerian striker looking to add to his seven European goals this season.
